Wild Magic (The Immortals #1), by Tamora Pierce

Speaking of covers, here's one I didn't really like, but it didn't stop me from loving the contents within!  Wild Magic is the first in The Immortals series and it was the first book of Tamora Pierce's that I've read at all.  It is not the first of all her books, but that's okay, because I loved this one so much I didn't mind having started out of order.  This book focuses on a young girl named Daine who has some "wild magic" inside which allows her to communicate through her thoughts to animals.  Daine has been an orphan for awhile and has learned to care for herself with just the help and love of her horse, Cloud.  Seeking work ends up changing her life forever when she is introduced to the right people who can help her harness her wild magic.  Maybe it's my lifelong draw to animals that made this book so special to me, but whatever it was, I loved her affinity with all the furry, feathered and scaly creatures.  I loved how they would sneak into her bed or she would sneak down to the barn to sleep with them and I loved reading as her abilities grew and changed with the help of her new friends.  This book was a lot like Light of the Oracle, by Victoria Hanley (read my review of that one here), The Chronicles of Narnia and The Wizard of Oz and it definitely satiated my craving for a comforting fantasy to read.  I can definitely see why Tamora Pierce has 20+ books for sale with this kind of welcoming writing.  I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good rainy day read, fans of fantasy, animal communication, YA, female heroines, magic or RPG video games (I felt a lot of similarities to the various Final Fantasy games or World of Warcraft and the like).

Favorite things:  Daine's amazing ability, the interesting world Tamora Pierce has created, the displays of loyalty and friendship, the comforting familiarity that reminded me of so many of my favorite childhood reads, the distinction that the animals were only choosing to help Daine and she didn't really have any control over them and the differences between the various species of animals and the unique ways they each played a role in this story. 

Criticisms:  I guess it did seem like there might be some things I am missing and I suspect that is because I started these books out of order, but this book mostly stood alone.  I didn't feel like I was missing much, but it did lead to a few moments of wonder or confusion.  Other than that, nothing!

Overall:  5 out of 5 stars!  I have been enjoying a wide variety of really good books lately!  I am more likely to love a book if I spent my money to buy it though, because I never do that without first reading a sample and also having a lot of prior interest in the book as well, so don't expect too many bad reviews from me in general.  It doesn't mean I'm not objective, it just means I'm really picky before ever buying in the first place.  :)

Anyway, I hope everyone is having a good end to their week and I'll ttyl!  *hugs*

Follow Friday/Blog Hop (April 8th, 2011)

Today's question:  Do you judge a book by its cover?

My answer:  Yes!  I love a great cover, I really dislike a bad cover and I am reluctant to buy a book if I don't like the cover as well.  I think cover art is really important and the writing might be great, but a lot of people won't ever know if they pass it by due to a boring or plain cover. 

... and the Blog Hop isn't being done this week so no extra question.  Oh well!

Syren (Septimus Heap #5), by Angie Sage

I've been reading these books over the course of several years, which I remembered while reading this one and memories of New Mexico came back to me.  I had a photography job that required a lot of travel and I spent weeks at a time living in NM and apparently reading these books haha.  Anyway, for those of you unfamiliar with the series, it's about a magical boy named Septimus Heap and his extended group of friends, family and co-workers.  One of the stand-out features in this series is the presence of a friendly dragon named Spit Fyre and I really loved all the dragon flight in these books.  Syren, specifically, involves some mysterious islands, a demonic possession and some quick thinking.  I really enjoyed this book and I will buy the 6th installment when it comes out in June, but I've heard bad reviews of these books too, so I caution my readers to read a sample or if you were lucky enough to catch the Free Friday of the first book then you can try the series for free, but beware, you might be one of the people that doesn't like it!  Perhaps all the magyk is too convenient or the books are a little too juvenile, but whatever the complaints, I wasn't bothered at all.  These books are technically a dystopian or a post-apocalyptic, but they read more like children's fantasies.  There is hardly any reference to the world we know as a reader, but it was apparently some time in the past for them.  However, they do go back in time for some of the books and there is no mention of anything like our civilization either, so nothing is explained very much.  I just don't care though, I'm ready to read and read whatever.  Spin me a tale Miss Author Lady and I will jump right in!  I had fun reading every single one of these books and if you're willing to take a bit of a leap these books are worth a try.  I would recommend the Septimus Heap series for any fans of YA, magic, dragons, stories of friendship and family, mysteries, coming-of-age or lovers of the renaissance time period. 

Favorite things:  Spit Fyre: the dragon, the feeling of being in another time period similar to the renaissance, the lovable characters, the post-notes at the end of each book that are similar to a mini-epilogue for some of the characters, the talent of Angie Sage to get me so involved that I actually said the words, "Oh no," out loud while reading this, the island setting in Syren, the creepy descriptions of something happening (I can't say what without a spoiler though haha) and the whole world Angie Sage created - I feel like I really know some of these people and places now.

Criticisms:  there are almost too many characters in this series for me, because I found it hard to remember who a few of them were and there are always new characters in each book too.  It's a bit frustrating when you have to stop and think about who such-and-such is before you can continue on reading and if she would just use a few less characters in each book, it would be easier to follow along.  Other than that, nothing, I don't have any of the potential complaints other readers might, because personally, those things don't matter to me.  I'm along for the ride and I don't necessarily need to know how I got there to begin with or why the ride is so weird or how it's upside down with no bars to hold on to... 

Overall:  5 out of 5 stars!  If you have similar tastes to me, I would really recommend this series.  :)

Blood Ninja, by Nick Lake

Wow, what a book.  A lot of you know that I love variety and this book definitely gave me something different than anything I've been reading lately!  Blood Ninja takes place in feudal Japan and is about vampire ninjas, ancient magic and a web of lies and deceit that quickly unravels to take the reader on a dangerous and bloody journey.  I have been a big fan of Japan and Japanese culture ever since I was a little kid, so that was the first thing that interested me about this book, but the calculated writing was what kept me rapt for 341 pages (NookColor count).  I felt like I was living in one of my favorite anime movies like Ninja Scroll.  The descriptions of the sword use, the falconry and the fighting itself seemed as if Nick Lake must have really done these things, but hopefully he's never decapitated anyone!  I mean, of course he hasn't or he would be locked up in jail instead of writing books (haha), but those scenes were extremely realistic as well and as a result I would not recommend this one for the faint of heart or to anyone who is put off by gore and violence.  I did have weird dreams after the first night of reading this book myself, but that was the only night and I read the rest of the book in two more chunks before falling asleep, so the story itself does begin to take precedence over the concept and I ended up loving Blood Ninja.  I usually don't like watching or reading about violence, but it gave this book so much character and I wouldn't change it personally.  I don't know who decided this book was YA though and I saw it was approved somewhere for ages 8 and up, did I misread that?  Because, that doesn't seem right if you ask me.  This book should be for 16 and up in my opinion.  I wouldn't want to explain seppuku to a 12-year-old personally.  However, if you get past that or are an adult like me, then Blood Ninja is truly an exceptional book.  So much so, I'm actually going to recommend it to my brother and I rarely have things to recommend to him, because he's a bit of a book snob and is only interested in a book if it has real substance, so that should say a lot.  I think he would love this book and a lot of you out there will too.  I would recommend this book to anyone who loves other cultures, Japan, different time periods, ninjas, vampires, books from the male perspective, fantasy, action, fighting and there's even a bit of a love story in there too for all the fans of romance out there!  :)

Favorite things:  the use of the Japanese language and explanations of tone that helped the reader understand more of what was really being communicated instead of just what was said, the occasional shifts in perspective that allowed us to get to know Lady Oda no Hana better, the fresh and interesting take on vampires, the surprise at the end that wasn't really a cliffhanger but still got me excited for the next book, the realistic characters for the time that showed a kind of sexism and cruelty and Nick Lake's ability to describe confusing things in a clear way to give my mind a perfect picture of a sword fight or a falcon's flight.

Criticisms:  there were vivid descriptions of everything, which can be considered a good thing, but perhaps not when it's a description of a decapitation.  However I felt it gave the book weight and tension, so I personally wouldn't have wanted it toned down at all.  I just wanted to mention it here as a warning to anyone looking for a YA book, because this one is a bit intense and extremely graphic.  Other than that, there were a couple side stories that were hard to focus on, because I knew somehow they would tie in, but I didn't know how and it was a pretty long book, so that was part of my inability to focus as well.  It wasn't enough to make me stop reading or switch to something else though, so...

Overall:  5 out of 5 stars!  I will never forget this series and I look forward to buying the second one to find out what happens next.  :)

Win a $50 Borders Gift Card @ Addicted to Words!

Candie @ Addicted to Words is hosting an awesome giveaway!  Please spread the word to help her get more followers, follow her yourself and you will be entered to win $50.00 from Borders via a gift card!  Just click on my link and good luck everyone!  :)  UPDATE:  Congratulations to the winner! 

In My Mailbox (April 2nd, 2011)

In My Mailbox is a meme started by The Story Siren to share all our new books from the week.  I didn't remember buying this many books until I looked just now to prepare for this post, but I ended up with more new choices than there are days in the week!  Oops!  Oh well, I can never have too many reading options.  Who knows what I'll be in the mood for next?  Or if I'll have some unexpected expenses pop up that prevent me from buying more books.  So, I might as well splurge while I can!  :)  Now to finally get on to what books caught my eye this week:

Emily Windsnap and the Monster from the Deep is the second book in this children's series about a half-mermaid, half-human girl named (you guessed it) Emily.  Read my review for the first one by clicking here.  I've been on a bit of a mermaid kick lately, so please leave me a comment if you know of any others for me to try, thanks.  (^_^)

After reading Hoot (read that review here) I was eager to read more of these kinds of books by Carl Hiaasen, so I bought Flush.  Hiaasen apparently does another style or set of companion books that don't really look like my type, but these animal/ecology-themed ones seem great if Hoot is any indicator.  I look forward to reading this one.

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer has been recommended to me first by Nick from the Teen Reads B&N Book Club and I put it on my wishlist.  Then, one-by-one everyone else started reading it and expressing the same sentiments about it, saying how funny it was and what a great read it was.  So, I realized I was missing out on something really worthwhile and I better get on board!  Now, I finally own it and I just have to fit it into my reading schedule sometime.

Wolf-Speaker is the second in The Immortals Series, by Tamora Pierce.  I had seen her books all over the place and never read any, so I purchased the first one awhile ago and once I finally got around to reading it, I was enjoying it so much that I just went ahead and bought this one now too.  It has someone with the ability to communicate with animals and if you read my review of The Light of the Oracle, by Victoria Hanley then you already know how cool I think that is!  I haven't finished the first one yet, but I will post a review as soon as I do!  :)

I already read and reviewed Gingerbread (see that here) and since I liked it so much I went ahead and bought...

... Shrimp, by Rachel Cohn.  I look forward to continuing the Cyd Charisse novels, but (as those of you who are familiar with my reading habits already know), I like to switch up my reads and get a nice variety throughout the week, so I'm not sure when I'll read this one.

I haven't finished Specials yet, but I wanted to buy Extras, by Scott Westerfeld anyway since I'm not planning on reading Specials right away and I want my covers to come as close to possible to matching as they can.  I don't think Pretties (read my review for that by clicking here) matches the rest of them, including the first one: Uglies (read that one right here), but what can I do?  *sigh*

What if you were frozen for ten years and once you were thawed you had to figure out life again with new technology, a little/older sister and parents whom are still frozen in the cryogenics lab?  These are some of the problems posed in I Was a Teenage Popsicle, by Bev Katz Rosenbaum and I wanted to know more.  This is definitely one of my favorite genres: YA/sci-fi/dystopian/fantasy/chick-lit or whatever you want to try and categorize it as... lol.  Anyway, it looks good and the cover makes me want to go swimming and enjoy summer again.  This winter was pretty mild here in Colorado, but I look forward to the return of flowers, green grass, hot sun and warm breezes!

I've been craving something scary or suspenseful again lately and hopefully The Devouring will satiate my needs!  I love the cover and it has good reviews, so I'm really looking forward to this one.  It is part of a trilogy (or there are only three so far perhaps) and the other two covers are equally stunning and maintain the beautiful theme of a face, some colored smoke and the black background.  I hope the words are as beautiful as the cover art though, because it's such a letdown when I don't even want to buy the next books after the first one in a series.  Here's hoping!  *crosses fingers*



Okie-dokie!  That was my huge IMM this week.  I definitely bit off more than I can chew, but that's ok.  I am really happy with my choices and I think I got a good variety too.  So, ttyl everyone and post a link to your IMM if you want me to come check it out!  :)

March in Review!

March was my first full month blogging and I read and reviewed 14 books.  I decided that it would be a good idea to list everything and pick some overall favorites!  This time I have 3 books I'd like to mention.  In order of their quality according to me, the best books I read in March were:

Wither, by Lauren DeStefano was the best book I read in March!  See my review here.

Revolution, by Jennifer Donnelly is my runner-up choice!  Read my complete thoughts here.

 The Light of the Oracle, by Victoria Hanley gets my honorable mention.  For the complete review just click here.










The rest of my reads were all pretty good.  I was lucky not to pick any books I regretted buying and I got to go on a lot of adventures thanks to all these great authors.  Click on any title below to go to the full review of the book.

March Recap:

The Light of the Oracle, by Victoria Hanley
After, by Amy Efaw
Hex Hall, by Rachel Hawkins
Revolution, by Jennifer Donnelly
The Tail of Emily Windsnap, by Liz Kessler
Wings, by Aprilynne Pike
100 Things I Hate About Pregnancy, by Kate Konopicky
Uglies, by Scott Westerfeld
Pretties (Uglies #2), by Scott Westerfeld
Demonglass (Hex Hall #2), by Rachel Hawkins
Stranger and Stranger (Emily the Strange #2), by Rob Reger
Hoot, by Carl Hiaasen
Forgive My Fins, by Tera Lynn Childs
Wither, by Lauren DeStefano

Thanks everyone for taking the time to read my reviews and share your thoughts!  I can't wait to see what kinds of stories we all read this month!  *hugs*

Gingerbread (Cyd Charisse #1), by Rachel Cohn

Gingerbread was written by one of the authors of Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (which was one of my favorite reads this year) and there was a quirky love story in this one too, but Gingerbread ventured into deeper waters with a controversial topic at its center and language a bit more suited to adults.  I wasn't bothered by either of those things personally, but some people might be, so I feel it's important to note.  This book tells the story of a 16-year-old girl named Cyd Charisse and, interestingly enough, her doll named Gingerbread.  Many think 16 is too old to carry a doll around, but Cyd doesn't care.  She is a young woman wading through the murky waters of adult life, which isn't always as pleasant as some children would think as they eagerly race towards it.  Cyd Charisse is still in high school and her life should be mostly carefree with major concerns being midterms and school dances, but it's a bit more complicated for the protagonist in this story.  She carries the burden of a secret so painful she trusts it to no one.  After her attitude and behavior get her in trouble yet again, her mom and step-dad suggest Cyd Charisse go to New York City to finally get to know her biological dad.  Cyd can't wait to go and get away from all her problems in San Francisco and escape the cold Pacific air, however it's not all roses with her bio-dad and half-siblings.  Life isn't easy and the older we get, the more complicated our decisions become.  Cyd is forced to find that out before her time perhaps, but her decisions shape her and whether or not you agree with her choices, I don't think you'll ever forget the person she becomes because of them.  Rachel Cohn does a fantastic job of writing in a unique and expressive way and the characters she has created for this series are so animated and seem to come to life as a result.  If there was ever a wild child inside of you or if you ever wanted to get to know one of those colorful souls a bit better, this book might be for you.  I found Gingerbread to to be bold, fresh, distinctive and also sweet, just like the baked namesake.  The only thing I was missing was some gingerbread to eat while reading it.  I highly suggest buying or baking some before starting this book so you'll be more prepared than I was, because I can't stop thinking about gingerbread loaves or gingerbread cookies now...  Mmmm...  I would recommend this book to any fans of realistic fiction, chick lit, family stories, coming-of-age or YA in general. 

Favorite things:  Rachel Cohn's spirited writing style and her courage to incorporate a controversial topic, the shifting family dynamics that Cyd helps inspire with her personal growth, the loud cover art, the gritty characters, the element of realism and one of the coolest dolls ever: Gingerbread.

Criticisms:  the language wasn't what I would consider YA and some of the subject matter wasn't either, but since I'm adult, it didn't bother me.

Overall:  5 out 5 stars!  I bought the next one in this series already.  :)